Google Announces New Initiative To Increase Digital Skills For The Future

LARIMER (KDKA) — Led by Google’s CEO Sundar Pichai and elected officials, including Governor Wolf and Mayor Peduto, Google announced its “Grow with Google” initiative at its Bakery Square headquarters in Larimer on Thursday.

“We think the internet should allow everyone to become a developer, entrepreneur, or creator, and we build our platforms around that,” declared Pichai.

Pichai — whose first visit to the United States from India was to relatives in Pittsburgh 24 years ago — said there is a gap in education and training for the skills needed in the future.

“One third of jobs in 2020 will require skills that are uncommon today,” he said. “It’s a big problem, and at Google whenever we see a big problem, we ask how we can make it easier for everyone to solve it.”

So Google will commit $1 billion in grants to non-profits to close the education gap.

“We are launching ‘Grow with Google,’ a new initiative to help Americans with the skills they need to get a job or grow their business,” Pichai said.

Google also announced $10 million to Goodwill and the services of 1,000 Googlers, or Google technical staff, to help people learn digital skills at Goodwill locations across the country.

“With our support, it will be able to offer 1.2 million people digital skills and career opportunities in all 156 Goodwills across every state over the next three years,” said Pichai.